Slingin It With QB Velocity #5 with Former Auburn & Florida State OL Wilson Bell

For Season 3 Episode 5 of Slingin it with QB Velocity we got a chance to speak to former Florida State and Auburn Offensive Lineman Wilson Bell.

He had a stellar career at Florida State and Auburn protecting some of the best quarterbacks in the nation. He helped the Seminoles win the 2013 National Championship with Jameis Winston. He was on the Bills for a short time and spent time playing Arena football for the Baltimore Brigade and the Jacksonville Sharks.

We talked about his love of the game, greatest Lineman to him, how it was like playing at Florida State, why he went to Auburn after Florida State, and why he decided to coach at Nichols College.

Be sure to check out the podcast on YouTube, Apple, Spotify and anywhere else you listen to podcasts.

When did you first fall in love with football and why?

Oh man, OK so. When I was younger, I wanted to be next Michael Jordan. OK, I read all the Michael Jordan, all his books. You know, I lookED at all these highlight tapes like that's what's I'm gonna be. I'm gonna be a basketball player just like I just know that for a fact.

But I was always chubby kid, right? So, I'll just tell you the kid that looks like you will never play basketball. You need to focus on football. I don't know. I don't know what it seems inspirational or what but. Mostly gonna try it out. I was always taught.

Football is like a bunch of tough guys. That you know I'm saying so, but I went out and I sucked at it. I liked. I was just horrible at it like. I didn’t really have any like really natural talent or whatever I want.

Who supported you the most growing up?

Ah man a handful of people once, once I start taking it more seriously, people took me under their wing. You know you had guys like Joe Harris. You know my cousin, Demetrius Barnes. You know, even teachers like talking about Buchanan like a lot of people like 42.

You know they poured into me. They didn’t know what I was going to do. You know what I was going to come. And it was like this guy's passionate for this, so they kind of poured into me like our training like I'm in with my coach and he made me run around the field like everybody else is doing the actual football training.

They gave me 2 Hammers. This is like I ran swinging the same arm and the same leg. He was like take these, temporary tell you sweet his hammer moves this like remove that like you know, and I wanted to do that. So, like I got a good idea, got taken away and like watch me run another two miles. You know I'm saying that just around the field just so I can like at least to have that going for me.

You know I'm saying so. When you guys like that and I was blessed enough to have Chris Samuels, Chris was like that. He played like 10 to 15 years in that NFL for it. You know I'm saying for the Redskins. I think every major sports magazine that was because he was like the number one draft pick.

I'm coming out, he’s from my city, so he retired and decided to come back and give back. And of course, he turned to my school of all schools. God brought in my school of all school and he was like, I want to coach with his with his one of his best friends are Kelvin Sigler.

You know he wanted to best friend and like free of charge he bought us equipment, he brought his tools and of course he bought his knowledge. You know I'm saying like I have all coaches who want to come back. Even the o-line coach wants to come back and get back with you know. I'm saying so I don't know, he came to change the program he changed offices around the whole dynamic and I know I just all glory goes to him and he really likes shaking it be help me refine my skills almost you know.

What was your recruiting process like?

So, I was at one of these camps, you know. You know I started getting cloud. It seems to be getting power whatever so. I wanna say my junior year like junior going into the summer going into my junior year is when. Nothing much happened like junior going into my senior. That summer going into my senior I get a phone call, I get a phone call just like I played well, my journey or whatever. Played well, play with or whatever.

I get a phone call from West Kentucky. And he was like, hey Wilson, we have been watching your film, you know, change, like we think your good. All things quote, you know, saying you know we got a lot of guys on this team, not knowing what he's doing. You know, I'm saying that he was like, yeah, so we're going to give you a full scholarship. I flipped out throw my helmet crazy, it's like it's my first time. I said I was going to West Kentucky like I just did it.

That's where I'm going like because like growing up in Alabama, only place you have is the only thing that people like its showed often. Broadcast is Alabama State, Alabama and or UAB, that's the only broadcast. Like you go to UAB. You are that boy you're top dog. You know I'm saying nobody ever thinks outside of Alabama from Alabama so.

That's all, that's how it was, and they offer me, and I had my spring game. I did not know about the questions there so that Saturday after my spring game. I got like 15 almost from there too, like Memphis, Freaking Arkansas State. It just was loading up. You don't say ahead. Of course, you grow 5 inches whatever is going on. So, my colleagues know I had seventeen D1 offers.

After that. And that's when I went to UAB for a visit for like my third visit I was like I'm just going to run them out. You know, I'm saying I know where I'm going. I know I'm going with another option and at that time I was committed to UCF. So yeah, I'm like I'm going to UCF. You know, biggest offer and beautiful school. I loved it. You know it's beautiful. I'm going there.

I was Standing stone, something running this out. And that's when I get a call. I got a call from him. I knew Jeremy Pruitt from high school. I knew him in high school, he would come out all the time. You know he posted Alabama to have some time like elephants, not like before.

He's like, you know, I just got the defensive coordinator job, influencing all congratulated, like casually in graduation. Coach like him, so proud of you, man. You know you were charged for the installation. Do you? Did it? Yeah, you know we need to. I got a few guys. I can put you in contact with.

Crazy man, yeah, we want to offer you a full scholarship like too. Kidding me like Florida State must freaking you know I'm saying so. I have flipped out before. The longer they had told people like if Auburn offered I would stop. So don't care who offers me. I'm going to Auburn.

I have as I was saying this for longer than order was dragging their feet that with jeans is it was there